Paying the Bills
by Website Update on November 18, 2011 in Financing
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Working toward your first feature is often a matter of blood, sweat, and tears – not steady paychecks. How can you parlay your filmmaking talents into rent and a meal while you work to get your vision in the can?
Ursula Lawrence, Lead Strategic Organizer, Writers Guild of America, East
Ursula Lawrence is the Lead Strategic Organizer for the Writers Guild of America, East. Her primary job duties include expanding the Guilds membership in independent film and digital media. Prior to working at the WGAE Ursula was a Field Representative for the Directors Guild of America where she was responsible for visiting DGA members on the sets of feature films, television shows, broadcast news and commercials.
Gill Holland, Partner/Producer, The Group Entertainment
Spirit Award nominee for Producer of the Year, Gill Holland has worked on over 70 films, including Sundance faves FLOW: For Love of Water, SPRING FORWARD, LOGGERHEADS, Sundance triple winner HURRICANE STREETS, the FOX sit-com GREG THE BUNNY, the Spirit Award winner and first carbon-neutral independent film SWEETLAND, Al Gore’s 2008 Reel Current Award winning doc MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL, and the Emmy-nominated doc DEAR JESSE. He produced three volumes of cineBLAST! the short film compilations He is partner at The Group Entertainment, the KY/NYC management/production company, and former adjunct professor at NYU Graduate Film School. Gill worked at the French Film Office and has been on the jury for shorts at Sundance and selection committee for the Academy Awards, Student Division.
His record label sonaBLAST! is on its 38th release and features Ben Sollee, The Pass, and Irish star Mark Geary. He, his wife Augusta, daughter Cora and twins Owsley and Lilla opened The Green Building, the greenest commercial building in KY. Louisville Magazine named him its “Person of the Year” in 2009.